


Minn Faðir

by RikuKingdomHearts3



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Demigod Cloud, Demigods, Family Bonding, Fluff, Gen, Odin is Cloud's father
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:42:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23986261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RikuKingdomHearts3/pseuds/RikuKingdomHearts3
Summary: Summon Materia is based on legends and real creatures. The real ones are out in the world freely, like chocobos and moogles. Even the gods themselves, but they are far more hidden. Though for Cloud, he just happens to know one of them rather personally. Why, you may ask? Turns out that Odin just happens to be his dad.
Comments: 127
Kudos: 147





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This just came as a very random thought when thinking about how much Cloud managed to survive in his life. So I made up this little idea. Enjoy!

"Cloud, you need to stop getting into so many fights."

Cloud pouted as he let his mother wash the dirt off his face. He didn't say anything though, knowing his mother had more to scold him on.

"You could get into serious trouble if you keep this up, or worse get more than just a few bruises."

"It wasn't my fault this time!" Cloud finally cut in, raising his voice slightly. "It was those other boys, they just wouldn't leave me alone."

"But you still fought them, didn't you?"

"Yeah but they started it."

"Cloud."

"Who cares if I fight them or not!" Cloud shouted. "They'll still pick on me and push me around and nobody cares!"

"Cloud, do not take that tone with me," his mother said, trying her best to remain calm but serious. "Please, you can't keep getting into fights like this. What would your father say?"

Cloud scrunched up his nose. "Well maybe if he were here it would matter."

"Cloud Strife!"

Now he had done it. He had made his mother use his full name. Sighing, he lowered his head, feeling bad that he had made his kind and caring mother yell at him. "Sorry…"

Placing a hand on his face, his mother looking at him with deep and gentle eyes again. "Cloud… I know it is hard to understand, but your father would be here if he could."

"Well why can't he? What's so important that he can't be here for us?"

His mother sighed, averting her eyes away. "Maybe one day you will be old enough to understand."

"But I'm 10-years-old now! Why can't I know? What makes it hard to understand?"

"It just is. That's as much as I can explain for now. So please Cloud, promise me you will try and be good?"

Cloud sighed, slumping his shoulders. "Yeah… I'll try."

* * *

That night Cloud just couldn't seem to fall asleep. He had tossed and turned countless times but nothing helped.

Sighing, he got up and went to his window, pulling back the curtains to stare at the night sky. He stared up at the stars hoping that maybe that could make him drowsy, but he highly doubted it.

_"Cloud."_

Cloud nearly jumped, turning around quickly. "Huh?"

There was no one in his room besides himself… so who was that? Or maybe did he just imagine it. Maybe he was sleepier than he realized.

_"Cloud, follow my voice."_

Cloud had no idea what to think. It was a deep voice that he was unfamiliar with… yet he didn't feel afraid. There was something about it… it made him curious.

Carefully he made his way downstairs and out the door, trying his best to not make a sound. He had no idea where he was going though. The voice had said to follow him, but he didn't even know where to follow.

"Um… hello?" Cloud whispered softly to the night air. "Where am I supposed to go?"

_"This way."_

Right away Cloud followed the sound of the voice. He didn't even pay attention to where he was going at this point. All he wanted to know now was about the voice and why it wanted to have him follow.

Eventually Cloud had to stop to catch his breath. When he finally looked to see where he was, he realized that he wandered much farther than he thought. He was up in the forest now outside of town, just past the old mansion.

"What… how did I get all the way out here…?"

Suddenly a sound of trees rustling distracted him. He turned to see that someone was walking towards him. His instinct told him to run for it, but he stayed frozen in place as the figure came into view.

He almost couldn't believe his eyes. If he wasn't dreaming at this point he didn't know what to think. But right now he saw what was before him… and it was something he never expected to see any time soon.

It was the god Odin.

But that just didn't make any sense. _"How… is someone out there messing around with me? How did they get an Odin summon? Why would someone do this?"_

Cloud stared up at the large god before him as his thoughts ran through his head. He could not take his eyes off the demonic looking god that wore knights armor with a helmet that had horns reaching out several inches. No matter what Cloud did he could not take his eyes off of him or the horse that he sat up on.

"Cloud," the god said, speaking in a low, deep voice.

Cloud straightened up. How did the god know his name? How was he even speaking? Summons didn't speak. They were just summons after all. Artificially created things used for battle.

But then again… summons were based on the legends of gods and goddess themselves. But… if he really heard him speaking… then could it really be the actual Odin? And he somehow knew Cloud's name?

Maybe that last one was a foolish question to think… he was a god after all. Gods should be able to know all that stuff. After a moment Cloud realized that staying quiet in the presence of a god was probably a bad idea, especially if it really was the real thing.

Finally finding his voice he spoke. "Y-Yes? Um.. I mean yes sir?"

"Do you know who I am?" the god asked not even batting an eye.

Cloud nodded quickly. "You're Odin, one of the gods from the old texts."

"Good," Odin replied while it looked like he was giving a nod of approval. "And do you know why I called you out here on this night?"

"Um… I-I don't know," Cloud lowered his head, afraid he may have upset Odin by his choice of words.

"Cloud," Odin said, causing the blond to look up at the terrifyingly amazing god before him. "There is no reason to be afraid of me. You haven't done anything wrong. I only wished to talk."

A god… wanted to talk with him? Just some random kid from Nilbelheim? None of that made any sense. "I gotta be dreaming…" Cloud didn't even realize he spoke aloud until he heard Odins' laughter.

"Still so young and so much to learn," Odin said before he dismounted his horse.

Cloud stared only for a few minutes more before lowering his head again. It not only was intimidating to be staring up at the large god, but it also felt wrong. He shouldn't be allowed to just gawk and stare at a god… even if the god said that he wanted to talk to him.

"Let me tell you something young one." Odin started to speak again, though this time his voice sounded less deep. It sounded much more normal and human.

Slowly looking up Cloud saw that Odin's appearance had changed. He now looked like a tall human adult, though he still had such a serious gaze in his expression. "The gods sometimes choose to take time to wander the mortal plane. To blend in with the humans and see how their society has grown over the centuries."

"Really? So you choose to look human like that?" Cloud said as he stared longer at the human form. It was strange… it almost felt familiar, but it felt so far away he couldn't place it. "And you just walk around looking at people and stuff?"

Odin nodded, the slight smile on his lips. "In a way you could say it like that. If we so choose we can do more than just watch. About ten years ago or maybe just a bit more, perhaps maybe it is eleven at this point, I walked the mortal plane as you see me now. Something most unexpected happened in that journey."

"Oh? What was it?" Cloud asked, becoming increasingly curious by the god's story.

"I met a fair mortal that managed to entrance me. Something that I never would have happened, yet it did. And do you know who this young woman was?"

Cloud shook his head quickly.

"Her name was Claudia Strife."

With his eyes widened, Cloud found himself gapping at the human form of Odin. "But… but that's my mother's name. How could… but ten years ago…"

Slowly things started to piece together in Cloud's mind. Even though he still was astounded at what he heard, he started to get the bigger picture. "Does that mean you… or that I'm…"

Odin knelt down before Cloud. His eyes were a deep shade of blue, like the skies themselves. "Yes, that means you are my son."

Cloud's mouth dropped open. He had clearly heard what Odin was saying, but it sounded almost too crazy to be true. Odin… an all powerful god… was his father? It just didn't make any sense.

"But I… that makes me a god?" Cloud managed to ask.

Odin shook his head. "Not entirely. Your mother is still human. You are only half; a demi-god."

"A demi-god…" Cloud repeated softly. "But how… Ah I mean… am I really? It just seems really weird… or something. I don't know…"

Cloud lowered his head as he stared down at the ground. This was all too much to take in for him and he couldn't just wrap his head around it yet. But at that moment he felt a hand on top of his head. Raising it slightly he saw that Odin had placed a hand on his head.

"The circumstances may be confusing to a young mind such as yourself. But the fact is that I am your father. You have the blood of Odin burning through your veins."

"But it just seems too weird."

"You have great strengths, Cloud. You know this very well. Think of this also, how many 10-year-olds can easily and fluently read the old Nibel language?"

"Um… I don't know anyone else but me…" Cloud replied as he shifted back and forth. It wasn't something mandatory to learn in school, there were just brief lessons about the language, but not how to read it. It was actually something his mother taught him. She wasn't all too fluent in the language itself, but Cloud picked it up like it was second nature to him.

"You see then? These factors are what make you the son of a god. These special skills you inhibit, they are all connected."

Cloud nodded as he listened to Odin. While so much of this sounded confusing and strange, there was also a bit of excitement building within Cloud. He was the son of a god! He was the son of Odin, one of the most powerful gods of them all. But then his mind quickly shifted to something else. Something a little less happy.

"So… is that why you're never there? I mean… why you left mom?"

He could see Odin's express darken. A sense of sadness was in his godly eyes. "It was hard to make that choice, but gods are not supposed to go and live down here with mortals. I wish that I could have been there for you in the start of your life, but my responsibilities as a god were what I had to take first. But, know this Cloud, I have always been watching over you every chance I could get."

"Really?"

Odin nodded to him. "Yes, and while I admire the passion and determination you have, you should listen to your mother and not get into so many fights."

"Huh? How do you know about that?" Cloud asked quickly.

Odin laughed. "I said that I watched over you, did I not? I may not always be seen, but I am there. I am still proud of how far you have come."

Something struck Cloud deeply in his heart. An overwhelming feeling filled him and he couldn't stop the tears forming in his eyes. He didn't even realize what he was doing, but now he was holding on to Odin, hugging him tightly.

At first he thought maybe he should stop. Was it wrong to hug a god? Even if that god was your father? He didn't have to worry though for he felt Odin's arms wrap around him. Cloud tried his best to hold back the rest of his tears, but being in this embrace let them all stream down his cheeks. A sense of overwhelming relief and warmth washed over him. In all ten years of his life, he had never felt so happy before.

"Sonr minn," Odin whispered gently, speaking in the old language.

Seeing as he was speaking in that tongue, Cloud only thought it was fitting to reply back just the same. "Faðir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have more to add to this one day, but as of right now it will be a one shot. 
> 
> Either way thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look at that, I actually decided to make more of this. Thank you all so much for liking this story, I am glad the concept is enjoyable.

Cloud held on to his father for as long as he could, but he knew eventually he was going to have to stop. But he just wanted it to last a little longer. The loving warm embrace of a father… it was something he never had experienced for the first ten years of his life. It was something he always thought about and saw other kids have, but he had always been alone. But now he found his father. He wasn't some jerk who just up and left him and his mother, he did care and that was what Cloud was most happy about.

After another moment Cloud finally let go of his father and stepped away. "Um… can I ask a question?"

"Of course my son, you can ask whatever comes to mind."

"Okay, um… are there other demi-gods? Like anyone else out there like me?"

"I wouldn't know. That is not something I usually go and ask the other gods and goddesses. But as far as I know, there haven't been any demi-gods for centuries. We gods have pulled back on our involvement with the human race to let them be more free, but sometimes we do make the choices as I did."

"Is it like bad then, to do? You know… to fall in love with a human?"

Odin shook his head lightly. "While it isn't flat out taboo, we do say it is preferable to stay out of it. But I would not have changed what I did. Even if I cannot be there for you every step of the way, I am glad to have you as my son."

Cloud smiled again warmly at the words, it just felt really, really nice to hear that. It still resonated with him deeply, knowing that his father really was out there and did care. Though a moment later his mind started to fill with more and more thoughts. "Could I ask some more? If it's okay?"

Odin knelt down to Cloud's eye level again. "Yes, but perhaps for another night. We don't want your mother to worry after all. How about this, come back to this spot on the night full moon." He pointed up to the sky where the moon hung, only half full.

Cloud's eyes lit up. "R-Really? We could talk again?"

"You deserve some answers, Cloud. I haven't been there for you, but I can try what I can to be here even if it is only for a few times each month."

Cloud felt another wave of feelings overcome him. Once more he ran into the arms of his father and held on tightly to him. He didn't want the moment to be over, he wished that it could always be like this though he knew it sadly could not. But at least for a few more minutes he wanted to stay there in the warm and loving embrace of his father.

Once he pulled away, he had one last question to ask. "Does mom know? About you?"

Odin gave him a nod. "Yes, I could not bear to leave her without telling the truth. It did come as a shock to her, but I did my best to ease her heart. So you can tell her about this meeting, that way she may not worry as much." There was a pause before Odin continued. "Tell her that I still think of her and love her, all right?"

"I can do that," Cloud nodded.

Odin smiled one more before patting Cloud on the head. "Munu sterkr sonr minn."

"Þakka fyrir," Cloud replied before turning to head back down to his town. Though it was late at night and he knew he needed to sleep, he had no idea honestly how he was going to. After what he had learned now, he wasn't too sure he would be able to calm down from all the excitement. But as soon as he got back into his bed he was out and slept soundly. After all that excitement, he really ended up just burning out all the energy that he had.

* * *

When morning came he felt a new sense of strength in him. A new outlook on what he could do with his life and what everything meant to him. But the first thing he knew he had to do was talk to his mother.

He ran down the stairs quickly to find her cooking breakfast as always. He took to his seat and waited for her to notice his presence. She started to hum happily after a moment.

"Good morning, Cloud."

"Good morning, mom! I got something to tell you!"

His mother turned around and smiled at him before placing his breakfast down on the plate. "Oh is that so? Was it some amazing adventure dream?"

"No better than that! Sit down first so I can tell ya!"

His mother laughed. "My, it must have been something good if you are this excited this early in the morning."

Once both plates were filled with food and his mother was sitting, Cloud finally decided to tell her. He knew that if he waited any longer, he would probably explode. "I met dad last night!"

Cloud flinched slightly when his mother's fork clanged against the plate. Her eyes had stretched wide as she fixed her stare at him. "You what?"

" _Maybe I started off too abrupt with it,"_ Cloud thought as he tried to think of a better way to tell her. "Last night I just couldn't sleep, but then I heard someone talking to him. I followed the voice and I ended up meeting the god Odin, and he told me who he was and stuff."

"Oh Cloud," his mother said before she stood up. She ran around the table and wrapped her arms around him, bringing his head close to her chest. "When I said that maybe one day you would understand, I didn't mean the very next day."

Cloud thought she sounded upset at first, but he could hear the small bits of laughter in her voice. "You really did see him? You weren't dreaming?"

"I know I wasn't dreaming! Besides you know who he is so that proves I wasn't dreaming it," Cloud replied.

"I know, I know. I guess I wasn't expecting to have this talk with you for at least a couple more years. You can see why I had to keep it a secret." Slowly his mother began to stroke his hair. "I'm glad you know now. I don't have to keep it from you. Now, did you two talk about anything?"

"Not much, pretty much he told me I was a demi-god. You know someone who is only half god or something. But he said I could meet him again soon and talk and ask him more things."

"That's good to hear. I am glad… you can finally meet him and get to know him. Even before I knew who he was, he really was a kind and compassionate man. I never knew or would have expected a god to be so in touch with people like he was."

"Oh! I remember what else he said. He told me to tell you that he still loves you."

Now his mother started to cry, just starting with small sniffles. She never once let go of him though. "Thank you, Cloud. That's really nice to hear after all these years."

Finally Cloud wrapped his arms around his mother. "Can you tell me more about him? Like how you met?"

His mother pulled away from their hug, her eyes red with tears, but a smile was on her face. "Of course. I'll tell you all that I can. I'm sorry I had kept it from you this long."

"Mom, it's okay. I get it. I guess I probably wouldn't have believed you if you told me the truth before. I really had to see him for myself. It was so much larger than I expected!" Cloud said as he recalled staring up at the giant godly form of his father. "And his horse too! But then he changed to look like a person. It was really cool."

Laughing, his mother placed a hand on his cheek. "It makes me so happy to hear you are excited about this. Even if we can't see him often, we can always think about him. Now, let's finish our breakfast, and then I will tell you, okay?"

"Okay!"

* * *

The day had been spent learning as much as he could about his father. From what his mother knew at least. He already knew a lot about the god stuff from what he learned in school and read in books. But now he got to learn about his father from when he was disguised as a young human, going by the name Wōtan.

He seemingly had come to Nibilheim as a traveler and he had bumped into Claudia. She thought it was strange at first that someone traveled all the way out to Nibelheim for 'the sights' dispute it being such a small town. But that made him all the more mysterious and made Claudia curious to find out more.

She had tried to find out just where he was from, but he always gave the same answer, saying that it was just some place far off that she probably never had heard of. But he would tell stories of adventures he had been on supposedly. So many of them seemed to be too absurd to be true, but later on it made sense when he finally revealed who he was.

Claudia had listened to them regardless, still wanting to know so much more. Eventually the two of them actually spent everyday together, just spending as best as they could in such a small town. Before she even knew it, she had fallen in love and it seemed that Wōtan had as well.

"But I don't wanna hear about the love stuff!" Cloud exclaimed as he interrupted his mother.

Laughing, his mother sighed and placed a hand on top of his head. "We can save that part for when you're older then."

"So what happened next? After all that boring love stuff."

"Well after all that _sweet_ love stuff," his mother started to say, warranting Cloud to scrunch up his nose much to her amusement. "You were born. We were thinking of a name for you when we noticed how wide and blue your eyes were. Much more like your father's than mine, so much like the sky. Then that's where we got your name."

"Ooh! Cause 'cloud' in the old language is 'sky' right?"

"Exactly. But of course Cloud fitted you much better than Sky, even if in the old language it meant the same."

"I'm glad. I think Cloud sounds better too," Cloud added on. "Then what?"

"Well that was when he started to seem more worried. He had been away for quite some time and he was worried what the other gods would think if they found out. So that's when he told me the truth on who he was. That he wasn't Wōtan, but instead Odin. I felt almost foolish for not picking up on it sooner, but at the same time I barely could believe it. But I still loved him no matter what. Even when he had to leave, I promised that I wouldn't hold it against him."

"So then you never saw him after that?"

Slowly his mother shook her head. "Not ever in person, but I had a feeling he was always there, watching. I am sure I saw him a few times when walking through town, but then I would blink… and he would be gone."

She wrapped her arms around Cloud, pulling him in closer for a hug. Her head rested gently on top of Cloud's. "But we know he is out there, and we know he cares. I believe that is what matters most of all."

Cloud nodded. "Plus I will get to see him again! And I can get to know him more."

"I know, Cloud. That sounds wonderful that he is trying now. I wish honestly it could have been sooner for you, but better now than never."

Smiling, Cloud gave another nod. "Yeah, and I can't wait!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note here on the language that I had them speaking before and all. The words I use for the Old Nibel language are actually Old Norse... which saying that means I gotta do a lot of research on things. I won't use it frequently, but just small moments. I was informed that "minn sonr" is actually meant to be phrase as "sonr minn" which also means the same for the title. But I think for the title for easier understanding I should keep it as is? Let me know what you guys think.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun had just set, but Cloud was already outside sneaking around. While walking through town he had to be careful not to be seen as it was only early evening. It was at his mother's choice that he go earlier rather than in the middle of the night. Though she knew that his father could easily protect him against anything that showed up, she didn't want him making a habit of staying up late.

As he got out further into the forest he started to wonder if his father even knew he was coming earlier. Though either way, he actually had no idea what time he was supposed to even meet him. But then again his dad was a god… he would know if Cloud was coming earlier, right? Just some kind of god sense or something? It sounded about right when Cloud thought about it.

When he made it to the location he had been to before, he stood there staring in every direction. There wasn't too much that he had to wait for though as he heard the sound of a horse approaching. When he saw Odin come into view, Cloud thought to bow slightly now that he had his mind more awake to the fact he was in the presence of a god.

Odin merely laughed. "There is no need to bow sonr minn. Being my kind I see no need for you to do that."

"Oh, okay," Cloud said as he straightened up.

Odin got down from his horse and shifted his form to the human one that Cloud had seen before. He didn't find Odin's true god form to be all that scary or intimidating, but this human form gave a much more friendly feel. Cloud could only guess that this is what his father looked like when he had met his mother.

Smiling Odin walked closer to Cloud. "Are you ready to have some questions answered tonight?"

"Yeah! I've been thinking a lot about them and thinking what I want to ask. Oh! I also told mom that I met you and she told me how you two met and stuff."

"Good to hear, I take it that she wasn't too mad?" Odin moved to sit down and Cloud quickly followed suit.

"Nope! She was fine, she was just happy that I finally knew."

Odin placed a hand on Cloud's head, ruffling his hair slightly. "So, what would you like to ask first?"

"Oh! Uhm…" Cloud hummed as he thought over all the questions he had been piling up in his brain. "What's it like being a god?"

"That's your first question?" Odin asked with a laugh.

"Is it a bad one?"

"No of course not, I only was wondering what thoughts could be going on in your mind. But to be a god, it is hard to put into words. It is a different sense of being entirely than being a mortal. The powers that I hold and everything else makes it hard to explain for you to properly understand. It is like if you were to try and describe how it is to be a human 10-year-old boy. It would be hard, correct?"

Cloud hummed as he thought it over, trying to find anything he could explain. But eventually he nodded. "Yeah I guess it would be pretty hard. I never thought about it like that. But I think I kind of get it. Sort of at least. So what about the other gods?"

"What about them?"

"What are they like? You do know the others, right?"

"Of course. We gods do not frequently talk or meet up as you would with friends, but we do talk when there are meetings or other important events. Sometimes we will visit one another but it isn't usually a super common thing. But speaking of the other gods and goddesses, you know from your studies that there are far more gods out there than what people see in the summons."

"Yeah! There are a lot of different gods and goddesses I read about. Like the trickerist god Loki, do you know him?"

Odin smiled. "Oh I do know Loki, that I can assure you. Did you know there was once an attempt years ago to make a summon based on him?"

Cloud's eyes lit up with wonder. "Wow, really? What happened then?"

"Loki would not have it. He messed around with the ones who tried to create that summon, making it function as… well as Loki would. Unpredictable and full of tricks."

"Then what happened?"

"They tossed the materia to the bottom of the ocean."

Cloud laughed. "Really? They just did that and gave up after one try?"

Odin shook his head lightly. "They tried several times, but Loki messed around each time until they gave up with the idea."

"Ooh, I get it. But Loki can really change his forms and stuff? Is it true that he actually transformed into a horse once and that he gave bir-"

Odin suddenly cleared his throat, cutting off Cloud before he could finish. "I think that is a story that should be for another time. Not until you are older."

"Aw, but why not. I read it in one of the books before."

"That story is not someone as young as you are should have read. For another time, understood?" Odin spoke strictly, but he didn't seem cross at least. "Please do choose something else to ask, all right?"

Cloud sighed, seeing that persisting was probably pointless. Quickly he thoughts back to the other questions that he wanted to ask and jumped right back to it. "What about the gods they also have summoned based on them? You said I have met with them before, they are all nice or something?"

"There are some that are more distant than others. Ifrit is one that for sure is far from friendly even to us other gods. One might say this hot-head has a bit of a _fiery_ temper."

Cloud snickers slightly, feeling maybe he shouldn't be laughing at the joke. But it was his own father who made it. His father, who was a powerful god, was making puns about another god. But when he saw that his father was smiling, that was when Cloud finally let out the laughs he was trying to suppress.

"He is one god that doesn't care as much to see the humans as I would. He very much prefers his personal space."

"Aw that's too bad. I wanna meet all the other gods. You think I can?"

Odin leaned back, placing his arms behind him. He stared up at the sky while he seemed to think over the answer. "I don't believe now would be the best of times. I do not know how the others would react to the fact that you are my son, considering there haven't been demi-gods for centuries."

Another dead end to something Cloud was really curious about. He let out another sigh, but then he remembered something else. He looked over past his father to the horse that was quietly watching him with fearsome glowing eyes.

"Can I pet your horse? I mean can I pet Sleipnir?"

"But of course," Odin said before he stood up.

Cloud stood up just as quick and moved right by his father's side as they approached the horse. While he did really want to pet the godly horse, it also was a bit scary to look at. With its bright glowing eyes and armor that covered its body, it was totally not what you would expect with your average horse. It also had six legs, though in some texts it had eight, which was a whole other story entirely that just added to the freaky fact of it.

Now standing in front of the horse, Cloud felt a little more nervous than before. When Sleipnir snorted harsly, Cloud quickly sought to hide behind his father. When he felt this father's hand on his head he started to look up to see a warm and understanding smile from him.

"There is nothing to be afraid of sonr minn," Odin replied calmly. "Sleipnir does not see you as an enemy. It is just that he is always this fierce. Here hold out your hand like this."

Odin demonstrated as he held out his hand and Sleipnir went to press its forehead against the palm of his hand. "You see? Nothing to worry about. Are you ready to try?"

"M-Maybe."

Cloud still felt a little nervous, but being by his father's side helped ease his worries. After a moment his father reached down and gently took hold of Cloud's hand. Slowly he helped guide Cloud's hand out and all they had to do was wait after that. Sleipnir soon lowered its head and pressed up against Cloud's palm.

Cloud's eyes lit up as he grinned widely to his father. "Look! I did it."

"I see," Odin chuckled. "Now what would you say to a little flying trip?"

Cloud gasped. "You mean it?! That would be so cool to get to fly on Sleipnir! But… wouldn't people see us if we did that?"

"Cloud," Odin said as he knelt down to his son's eye level. "I am a god. If I do not wish for people to see or hear me, I can make it so. It will merely be just a passing gust of wind for anyone who may be out tonight."

Still holding the full excitement in his eyes, Cloud just smiled even greater than before. "So we can really really do it? Like we will be flying around and all that stuff like in the stories?"

"Exactly sonr minn," Odin replied. "Now come. Let us have some fun with this night."

Picking up Cloud he placed him onto Sleipnir and then Odin got on after that. Cloud bounced excitedly as Odin went to pick up the reins. With a single motion Cloud suddenly saw that they were running fast through the forest. Trees were whipping by quickly, but as soon as they came to a clearing Sleipnir started to move off from the ground.

Cloud looked over to the side and saw as they left the ground, flying higher up into the evening sky. The rush of cool evening air was flooding him, but he didn't even care about that. He was flying up in the air with his father on the flying horse Sleipnir. There wasn't anything he could think of that was cooler than that.

Smiling as he watched them sailing over Nibelheim, he let out a joyous scream that was built from excitement. There were people still out at this hour, but none of them turned their heads to look. They really couldn't hear or see them flying miles above. Cloud couldn't help but find each and every passing second more and more fun. He knew this was going to be one of the best evenings with many more to come, and he just was so excited to see what moments he could share with his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was some nice father son bonding moments yeah? I got some more ideas planned of course, but thank you all for enjoying this thus far!


	4. Chapter 4

"Hey Cloud."

Cloud turned to see none other than the girl Tifa standing behind him. It was just a pleasant saturday and Cloud had thought to just relax out under the shade of some trees. "Hi Tifa."

"What are you doing out here?"

Cloud shrugged. "Just relaxing."

Tifa hummed before rocking lightly on her feet. "You seem happier lately."

"Huh?" Clod lifted his head a little to look up at Tifa more. "What do you mean?"

"You know, you just seem happier. You aren't getting into as many fights."

It was true he had tried his best to avoid any possible fights. He really had been working on trying to be better all because he had met his father. Since that moment he felt like he finally filled a void that had always been empty. Something that he had always been missing was there now and it honestly made him feel better about everything.

"Uh yeah," Cloud finally answered. As much as he wanted to talk about his dad and everything, he knew he had to stay quiet about it. Going out there to tell others that he had met his dad would cause too much suspicion. Especially if he mentioned that his dad just happened to be a god. It was just out of the question. "Just trying to be better I guess."

Tifa smiled at him before sitting down next to him. "That's good to hear. It's nice to know you have a quieter side. I mean like a nicer quieter side."

"Oh… um thanks," Cloud replied softly.

While he had been trying to be better and avoid fights, that didn't change the fact he wasn't extremely sociable. On top of that Tifa was still the only one who was nice to him, the only one that actually tried to be his friend and never was rude to him. Cloud was surprised that she would care to be nice to him, not after the Mt. Nibel accident. But she never seemed to mind and never held it against him for what happened.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

Cloud shook his head. "No it's okay."

"So what are you doing? Like you gotta be doing something to try and work on being better, right?"

"Just stuff… finding different things to occupy my time," Cloud said.

It wasn't entirely a lie, but of course wasn't even anything close to the full truth. It had been a few months now since he had begun meeting up with his father. Most of the nights had been spent just talking and learning more about the gods themselves, more than what was written in the books. But there were also times when Cloud and his father just would have fun and go for rides on Sleipnir.

What had been most interesting was that Cloud learned he should actually have some powers of his own, being the son of a god. Though Odin said learning and tapping into those powers would have to come when he was older. It did disappoint him a little, but the concept still excited him no matter what.

"Like what though?"

"Nothing important."

Tifa looked at him curiously. "But it's gotta be important if it is changing how you act. Why can't you tell me?"

"I just can't, okay? I don't want to talk about it."

Tifa sighed. "Okay, if you say so. You wanna play today?"

"Oh, um sure."

"Great, come on then!" Tifa said as she jumped to her feet. "Follow me!"

Cloud smiled a little as he pushed himself up before running after Tifa.

* * *

That night was ine of the night were he headed out to meet his father. It was the same location every night, but Cloud was still always cautious when heading up there.

As soon as he saw his father he smiled and greeted him, and right after jumped into the questions he had on his mind. "Is it okay if I tell Tifa?"

"You mean about your family heritage?"

Cloud nodded quickly. "She's the only one who's nice to me. The only one who I guess I can say is like a friend."

"Well," Odin knelt down and placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "It all depends how you feel about it. I know what I said before, but if you trust Tifa enough, then I say it is perfectly fine."

"Thanks… I guess I'll think about it more. I still just don't know…"

"And that's all right, it is your choice in the end. Now, anything else on your mind?"

"Hmmm, nope," Cloud answered honestly.

"Good, because tonight I decided that maybe we should look more into accessing your powers."

Cloud's eyes lit up. He grinned widely as he bounced in place. "You really mean it? We can figure out what I can do and stuff?"

"Of course sonr minn. I know you have great power within you for you are of my blood. You may not have as much power and strength as I do, but you will have some. So now we can figure out what exactly you excel in."

"What I excel in?" Cloud asked as he tilted his head to the side.

"We already know you are strong and are quite durable, but that is a given most demi-gods have."

"Durable? Like I can take a lot of damage… like in the fights I use to get into?"

"Yes, there is that. But also, do you remember when you and your friend Tifa tried to go to Mt. Nibel?"

Cloud shifted slightly, still not liking to think too much back on the memories of the event. It was pretty scary when it happened and he knew neither he or Tifa would forget about it. "Yeah?"

"You both fell from that bridge, Tifa was severely injured but you only sustained minor wounds. Some would call it lucky, but you both fell from the same height yet you came out far less hurt than she did. So you understand now about your durability?"

"Hmm, yeah I get it, but there's more right? Other things besides being strong?"

"That is what I want to believe, but you are going to need to concentrate for me. Think deep within yourself, search for hidden powers that are buried away. If you can grasp them, you may just be able to pull them forward."

Cloud listened carefully to his father's instructions and then did as he was told. Closing his eyes he started to breath deeply. He wasn't exactly sure what he was trying to look for. How was he supposed to find a power within himself when he couldn't actually see it? Maybe it was just like some weird feeling, like when you hit your funny bone on the table.

But the more he concentrated, squishing his eyes tighter, the more he started to feel like there was something there. He could feel the smallest bit of something surrounding him… a lighter feeling. Within his mind he tried to reach for it.

Suddenly the air around him felt cooler and it felt like it was swirling around him. Without even realizing it a gust of wind seemed to flow right by him, causing him to lose his concentration. He staggered slightly nearly falling over, but thankfully he was caught by his father.

He looked up to meet Odin's gaze and he could see that his father was grinning widely. "Good job sonr minn."

"I did good? But I didn't even do anything."

Odin shook his head. "You did though. Did you not feel that strong wind that nearly toppled you over?"

"But I thought that was just the wind…"

"It was the wind, but you were the one that created the gust. I can do the same," Odin flicked his wrist and there was a brief breeze that brushed by the two of them. "You see?"

"Oooh, it's basically Aero magic, right? But without the materia?"

"You are right. The gods themselves as you know can use magic freely, such as the summons based around us do. You have this ability as well, but what I believe is that you only have strength in certain elements based around how I am with said elements."

"So I won't be able to use every element?" Cloud asked, feeling a little disappointed.

"Probably not on your own, no. But I am sure if you ever happened upon Materia, you could use it as a medium or amplifier."

"Ooh, I think I get it. But can we see what else I can do? Or maybe I can make it windy again. I think that could be pretty cool right?"

Odin smiled as he reached out his hand. He placed it on top of Cloud's hair and ruffled it up, making it look more messy than normal. "But of course. Let's see just how powerful you are."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cloud starting to show that he has some powers. Won't that be fun later on :)
> 
> Anyways thank you all so much for the love on this. It really makes me happy to know that people are enjoying this.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I return with a new chapter! Let's get to it!

Weeks ran into months and throughout all of it Cloud had really discovered a lot about himself as well as his father. The powers he had discovered within him were probably the most exciting part out of everything. He had actual powers. Powers of magic itself like in the storybooks of heroes for the olden days. Though it wasn't a whole lot of power though. From all the training he had done with his father, they had learned that his strongest elements were thunder and wind. All the others he could not seem to reach, but his father reassured him that he could probably still access them just as easily through materia.

Currently Cloud was at home with his mother. She was cooking up dinner while Cloud worked on his homework for school. As much as he wanted to run out and meet his father to train more, he knew that there were just these days where he had to stay home. He knew that his father would understand, he probably already knew anyways what with being a god.

But what he didn't expect was a knock at the door. He peeked into the kitchen to see his mother setting everything down and walking towards the front door. "Now who could that be at this hour?"

Cloud watched the door open and standing there was his father in his human form. His mother seemed just as shocked, barely moving from where she stood. But Odin just stood there, smiling warmly.

"Hello Claudia."

"Wōtan…" she whispered before being wrapped in a hug by him.

"I've missed you my dear," Odin, or technically Wōtan, whispered.

"But why… how are you here?"

"I wanted to spend at least one night with my wife and son. To have at least one dinner." They pulled apart from their embrace and Odin stepped into the house, closing the door behind him. "And besides, I have missed your cooking."

"But how can you be here? I mean what of the other gods?"

"I have been sneaking around to see Cloud without any of them noticing, so I can manage a night like this. Besides I think I deserve at least one night with my family," Odin answered before he spotted Cloud staring. He smiled before holding out his arms. "Ah come here sonr minn."

Grinning, Cloud ran over to him and got wrapped up in his embrace. "Dad!"

Originally he would have kept on calling him Faðir, but as time went on he grew closer and closer to his father. It felt more natural after some point to simply call him dad than Faðir. But Odin said he didn't mind it either way, he just enjoyed having a son who could call him either name.

"Well," Claudia said as she headed back to the stove. "I guess I better prepare a little extra food. Cloud would you be a dear and set one extra plate out for your father?"

"Right!" Cloud ran over to the kitchen and pulled out a plate and silverware to place on the table.

After he was done he ran back to his dad who had taken off his coat and shoes. He could barely contain the excitement that he felt bubbling within him. He never had felt this excited before. He was going to have dinner, not just with his mother but also with his father! An actual family dinner for the first time ever!

His excitement couldn't be contained and he felt like he was going to bounce off the ways at this point. But thankfully he felt his father's hand on his head. That was enough to contain him for now.

"Now," his father started. "Have you been keeping up with your studies, Cloud?"

"Of course! I'm studying as hard as I can."

"Well let's see what you got so far before we go and eat."

"Okay!"

Eagerly Cloud led his father over to where he had been working on his homework. For the next several minutes he showed him the work he had been doing, from history to math. Though he did end up having a few problems incorrect with his math homework, thankfully with a bit of help from his father he was able to fix them.

Soon enough his mother called them to the table and Cloud nearly crashed getting into his chair. His mother laughed as she shook her head. "Cloud, please do not run in the house. I know you are excited, but please contain yourself."

"Sorry mom," Cloud sighed before carefully climbing into his chair.

Now it was Odin's turn to laugh. "We appreciate your energy, but it is best to save it for when you are outside. Use that energy for the next time that we practice with your powers."

"Hm right!" Cloud was ready to dig into his food, but he knew better than that.

"Before we start, there is something I would like to say." Slowly Cloud's mother smiled and reached out to take his hand. With her other hand she took Odin's and then Cloud reached to his father's other hand.

Breathing in Claudia smiled as she looked to Cloud and then to Odin. "I'm very thankful for tonight. I never would have expected to have dinner together as a family. But now we are together, the three of us. Even if it is only for this one night, I will gladly take it."

"And I too am happy to have this night," Odin said. "Though I have hidden away for years out of fear that I couldn't be there properly, these months for the attempts I have made are more than enough. For the time I have been given, I am happy I was given this chance to spend time with my precious son."

Finally it was Cloud's turn to speak. He kept on grinning, stretching it from ear to ear. "I'm really really happy! I never thought I'd get to have dinner with both mom and dad, but I used to think about it a lot. I always wondered when I saw the other kids with two parents and… and I always wondered what it was like." Little tears pickled up in Cloud's eyes, but he decided to keep on going. "I guess maybe I was a bit jealous. Wishing I had what they had… but now I do! Even if it isn't exactly like the other kids, I'm happy!"

When Cloud finished his little piece, he could see that his parents had their own tears in their eyes. He would have thought that he had upset them somehow, but they had smiled at him fondly, giving him the feeling that what he had said was all right in the end.

The three of them finally let go of each other's hands and Cloud's mother wiped away her tears. "That was a beautiful thing to say, Cloud."

"Very well spoken, I'm proud how far you have come," his father added.

Cloud beamed, his smile practically glowing with positive energy now. With that all said though, Cloud stared at the food at the table. "So does this mean we can eat now?"

His parents laughed before the food was served and the three of them finally ate. The entire time Cloud continuously grinned, and he was sure his face was going to be sore afterwards from all of his smiling. He didn't care though because he was with his family. That was all that mattered to him now, being here together and having a proper family dinner together.

When dinner ended, Cloud watched as his father helped do the dishes alongside his mother. He couldn't quite understand it, but he could see how happy his mother was tonight. He had a guess it was love or something, but he was only 11, he didn't get all that lovey stuff. But he did know that they were happy, which still made him happy in the end.

But after dinner was when the evening just got even better. They had all moved to the living room and his mother pulled out a board game that was chocobo themed. Eagerly Cloud set up the game so that they could play it.

"Now how do you play this game…" his father muttered as he looked at the instructions.

"You never played it before?" Cloud asked.

"I am a god, we don't normally meet up to play human made board games," his father chuckled. He stroked his chin afterwards though. "Though, it might be an amusing idea to bring up. I highly doubt that Ifrit would agree though. If these games are like what I've heard, he would lose his temper easily and probably end up burning the game."

Cloud giggled. "Would he really?"

"He is the god of fire after all, I wouldn't put it past him."

"But what about you?" Cloud said as he scooted closer to where his dad sat.

"Oh, I am sure your old man here can figure out this game. It doesn't look too complicated after all."

"Let's play then!" Cloud exclaimed before going to start the game.

After the game, Cloud was starting to feel really tired. He didn't want to fall asleep though, he wanted to keep on having fun. But before he knew it, he was held in the arms of his father. He sighed happily as he rested his head on his dad's chest, letting the sleepiness increase.

"I don't wanna sleep…" Cloud murmured as he was placed down on his bed.

"You need sleep sonr minn," his father whispered gently.

"But I want… I want more fun…" Cloud tried to keep his eyes open, but they already felt heavy.

"And we can, but for next time. We will meet up on the weekend at our usual time, all right?"

"O… okay…" Cloud yawned, feeling the covers pulled over his body.

"Goodnight sonr minn," his father said before kissing his forehead.

"Have a good night, Cloud," his mother added before doing the same.

He was sure he could hear his parents walking out of the room, talking softly to one another but he couldn't hear their words. Everything was floating away as he was falling into his sleep. But he didn't mind so much now. He was happy for the day he had and with that Cloud smiled one last time as he finally drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a lot of soft family feels this time around. But I am working on the next big part, don't you worry!


	6. Chapter 6

As time passed yet again, Cloud's strength only grew. He still was only able to properly control two elements, but it was good enough for him. As long as he had something he could use and impress his father with, that was good enough for him.

Though he knew his father would love him either way. Over the years he stopped thinking about him being his father who was a god and instead just thought of him as his father. Even if he couldn't tell anyone else besides his mother, he embraced all his time he could with his dad, making the most of it.

When it came time for his 14th birthday, he was surprised when his father gave him a peculiar gift. In the other years, his dad had just given him regular gifts you would give a child, books, gil, games, etc. But now this time his father had handed him a red orb.

"A summon materia?" Cloud asked as he looked it over.

"It is no ordinary materia. Look closer," his father replied.

Cloud held it up to the bright light of the full moon. He narrowed his eyes as he started at the red orb in his head. "It's empty… there's no summon in it."

"That is correct. It is something I created myself, a fake materia. A dud you could say."

"But why?" Cloud asked as he tilted his head. "What did you need to make this for?"

"For you of course sonr minn. If you are ever in need of help, you can use this to in a sense call me and I will be there. But to everyone else it would just look like you are using a regular summon materia."

"Oh!" Cloud's lit up with wonder. "So it's like a phone?"

His father laughed lightly. "I suppose you could call it that. But it is for you to use when you need it, for I know one day you will leave your home to venture into the rest of Gaia."

Cloud stared up at the stared for a moment, letting the words sink in. He already knew one day that he would leave his small little mountain town. He knew there were other things out there that would be better for him, and he did have ideas just not a concrete plan yet. But ideas started to form in the back of his mind, he just needed more time.

Turning back to his father, he reached forward and hugged him tightly. "Thanks dad. This is really cool."

"Ah, you're welcome. Use it wisely."

"Right!"

From then on he kept the orb on him at all times. He made sure to not let anyone else see it, expect his mother of course. Thankfully there was never a reason to use it within the town, as he still went to visit his father ever so often. He just resumed life as it was, doing what we could, that was until he went back to thinking on his plans.

* * *

After a couple months he had kept on thinking over his ideas and plans. It had taken some time, but now he had come to a decision. The choice he had secretly been mulling over for quite some time now. Now all that was left was to prepare and set it in motion.

The night he went to visit his father he felt nervous. He already knew that his father knew he would leave one day, but he wasn't sure if he knew exactly what Cloud was planning. Either way he was ready to tell him the truth anyway.

Right away when he saw his father he ran up to him and hugged him. "Good evening dad! How're you tonight?"

"I've been well. Other than taking care of godly matters there has not been much else, so I hope you have some good things to tell me."

"Well I got something to tell at least," Cloud shrugged his shoulders a bit. "I've been thinking about it for a while… I um… I'm planning to leave for Midgar next spring."

"Oh?" his father raised an eyebrow. "What's out there for you?"

"I was thinking that I wanted to try out to be in SOLDIER."

Cloud watched as his father's expression straightened out. "So you intend to work for Shinra?"

Cloud started to frown. He wasn't sure if he had made the right choice or not. He had only hoped his father would support him like with everything else. But now he was worried about how that result would turn out.

"Yeah… I want to be a hero, like Sephiroth. I just…" Cloud lowered his head. "I feel like I could be a good hero, especially with the power I have. I could help a lot of people."

He felt his father place hands on his shoulders. Looking up he saw his father was kneeling down next to him. "Is that what you really want?"

Cloud nodded slightly. "Yeah… is something wrong with it?"

"No. Nothing is wrong with your dream to be a hero. It's only… we gods do not look at Shinra in a positive light. There are things that we do not approve of, but…" his father seemed to hesitate. "I cannot influence your decisions. If you wish to go to Shinra then you may do so. I will still send my love and support either way."

Cloud breathed in a relieved sigh. "Thanks dad."

"You are very welcome. I want to continue to see you grow and reach your aspirations. I won't stop you. Now… I hope you intend to tell your mother about this."

"I will!"

Smiling his father placed a hand on Cloud's head. "Good. We can't have your mother worrying now, can we?"

"Nope I won't worry her. I just hope she approves too…"

"She is your mother, she will always worry for her little son."

"I'm not that little anymore!" Cloud pouted.

"Of course you aren't. You are becoming a young man, and I will love to watch you continue to grow. Just please, be safe sonr minn."

"I will! Promise!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter of a chapter, but it was what was on my mind. Either way the plot moving along to the next big part. Can't wait for next time!


	7. Chapter 7

Cloud tried not to feel overwhelmed, but he couldn't help himself. The city of Midgar was just as big as he had expected it to be, but the sheer size still was enough to keep him frozen in place. He almost would have been too overwhelmed if he had not reached into his pocket wrapped his fingers around the summon orb he always carried.

During his journey to Midgar he had held on to the orb many times, always thinking small things or whispering to it about how he felt during the day. He wasn't sure if his father could actually hear him through the orb just by speaking to it, but he believed he could. Cloud did always find himself feeling better after having talked about his day, even if it was technically just to a orb. He had a good strong feeling that his father was most definitely listening.

With a deep breath he finally closed his eyes, tightening his grip around the orb slightly. "Father… give me strength. Believe in me like you do," he whispered softly.

He could have sworn he felt the orb start to warm up, but he was sure it was just his imagination. But then again his father was the god Odin. A god who had given him a fake summon material that actually worked to summon the one and only real Odin. Maybe there really was something to it after all. Of course there was, that was the entire purpose of it.

With a new smile on Cloud's face, he finally pressed forward and made his way towards the Shinra Headquarters. He wasn't exactly sure what it was that he had to expect, but he was ready to take on whatever came his way. As long as he had his special material orb by his side, he knew he could do just about anything. But now all he had to do was make it to Shinra and hope that he could continue with his dream.

* * *

Far outside of the city of Midar, the god Odin stood. Though he was far from the actual city, he still stayed where he was, watching the place with careful eyes. He could hear his son's words come to him, asking to believe in him. Odin chuckled at the words, happy his son still was reaching out to him for a little confidence.

As he watched he sensed the air grow cold. There was a slight chill in it now that was unlike the normal temperature for Midgar at this time of year. Turning his head to the side he offered a friendly smile. "Ah Shiva, to what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

"Only wondering what Odin himself is doing here. This is outside of your normal area to visit. What exactly brings you here?"

"I travel around just as the rest of you do. Just because I rarely leave my area anymore doesn't mean I can't go elsewhere."

"But that still leaves the question unanswered. Why here of all places? Why Midgar?"

"I could ask the same of you dear Shiva, Midgar is not your dominion either. And we both know how we feel towards Midgar, more specifically towards the company Shinra."

Shiva's lips curled up into a small. "Always so observant. As for my business in Midgar, just like yourself there are certain things I wish to see over."

"I take it you will not speak of it even if I asked."

Shiva laughed. "Oh you are too wise Odin. But…" Floating close to him she smiled and placed a hand on his cheek. "I have but the slightest feeling that our reasonings may align."

Odin raised his eyebrow, only slightly perplexed by her statement. If she was as good at reading him as he knew she was, then did that mean she knew the truth? It was a strong possibility and Odin wasn't about to put it past her. They were a god and goddess afterall. There was always that extra sense that they all seemed to have.

"Well, then we will just have to wait and see won't we?" Odin asked as he focused looking back towards the city.

"Come now, Odin. No reason to give me the _cold_ shoulder. That is my job after all," Shiva cooed gently. "With our reasons being so very similar I suppose I could tell you after all. We're both here to keep an eye on someone. Not the same someone, but our own certain someone."

 _"So it is possible… we are here for the same reason…"_ Odin hummed to himself before he spoke to Shiva. "I did not take you one for enjoying a human's company."

"The times change over the years. I once was close and then distant with them and then I grew close once more. You on the other hand have always been close with humans so it does not surprise me at all. Even though we swore to not interfere much anymore with the lives of humans, you and I have still found ourselves playing small minor parts in the lives of some."

"So you too have a child out there in the city," Odin stated as a matter of fact as he could. "One other demi-god."

Shiva smiled graciously. "Indeed I do, Odin. And your little one has just arrived to this city haven't they? Hence you being here after all. But what I believe is most curious is…" Shiva floated in front of Odin, blocking his view of the city. "Will our young ones cross paths?"

"Perhaps," Odin shrugged slightly. "All depends on if you are going to inform me any further on where your child resides."

"Oh I think we should wait on that. Let's let events unfold and see where they lead, shall we? I think it would be quite fun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so I know this was a shorter chapter but this is like transitions between things and all. The next parts are were things will get fun. 
> 
> But hope you all enjoyed!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa hey! It's been a while but here we are once more with this story! 
> 
> I do have classes starting today for me so I won't have as much time writing but I will be updating my stories here and there as much as I am able to. Anyways on to the story!

Making it to the Shinra Headquarters was one story, but actually being inside of the building was another. It was far larger than he expected and the vastness of the building was just as great as the city itself. At least to Cloud it seemed that way, everything was far larger than anything back home in Midgar.

" _How can anyone get used to a building this big?"_ Cloud wondered to himself as he tried to figure out where the front desk was.

Eventually he took a chance and walked up to the nearby desk that he saw near the front of the main floor. When he got there he saw that the lady was typing away at her computer, barely even noticing that Cloud had approached. He waited a moment to see if she would stop and look up, but she seemed far too focused on whatever it was that she was working on.

Finally Cloud couldn't take the wait any longer. He cleared his throat and the lady slowly turned to look at him. "Yes? Something I can help you with?"

"Yeah. I want to apply to be in SOLDIER or um however it is that you let people join."

The woman barely looked impressed, picking up a pencil from the desk and tapping it against her cheek. "Is that so?"

Cloud nodded. Breathing in he tried to find the confidence he had when first entering Midgar. He wasn't about to "Yes. That's why I came all the way here."

"Fine," the woman sighed. She typed something on her computer before pulling a packet of paper out from the desk. "So the next SOLDIER tryouts will be next Sunday. If you fill out this form by this evening we can set you up in the apartments with the other boys who are trying out."

Handing over the packet she also handed Cloud the pencil she had been holding. He took it slowly and read over it. "So just fill out this and then I can apply for SOLDIER?"

"Yup that's the first step at least. Just all legal stuff and all that boring stuff that isn't really all too important to you. Just fill in what it says and you'll be on your way."

Cloud thanked the woman before turning around to find a place to sit. He was already getting closer with every step and he could already feel his heart racing. But he was quick to sit down and fill out the packet. As he flipped through the pages, skipping the big text he would look up and around the floor. He wasn't too sure how everything worked just yet but sometimes he saw men dressed in SOLDIER uniforms pass by. Mainly though he saw a lot of people in suits but there were the occasional others like the SOLDIERs as well as Infantrymen. It was a small hope but he wished maybe Sephiroth would come by at a point so he could see the hero up close.

Sadly during the time he wrote out things, he saw no sign of Sephiroth anywhere on the floor. He did however hear mutterings from various Infantrymen who seemed to be one of the most frequent to walk around. Cloud paid no attention to them though, his goal was SOLDIER after all. He didn't care what gossip people were talking about or what people thought of him, a kid clearly out of his element all the way from Nibelheim.

" _I wonder if it is really obvious I'm not from Midgar… Oh well doesn't matter. I can still be SOLDIER no matter what."_

Once he was finished up with the paperwork, which took him less time than he expected, he walked back up to the desk. The lady was still there, clacking away at something still on her computer. This time at least she turned to look at him before he had to clear his throat.

"All done then? Good, hand it over," she said as she held out her hand. Humming she thumbed through a few pages before setting it aside. "Okay we'll let someone else handle this part, but now we just gotta fill out one last bit of info so we can set you up with a place to stay before tryouts. Name please?"

"Cloud Strife."

She nodded and clacked the information into her computer. "Okay, place of birth?"

"Nibelheim."

"Oh well you certainly came far," the woman commented nonchalantly. "Date of birth?"

"August 11, 1986," Cloud answered, startling to wonder just when the questions would be over, especially considering he also filled this out already in the papers.

"Okay, and that should be it. There will be an assistant to lead you to the apartments shortly. Just stick around kid, and don't wander off."

"Yeah I won't," Cloud replied softly. It was just more waiting after all, he could do that after so much travel. A little rest actually sounded nice for now. He needed to prepare himself anyways for the coming days. He had no idea what exactly to expect though with what he would have to go though. He could only assume it would be a lot of training but other than that he wasn't sure.

When the time came for someone to lead him to the apartments he followed quietly without much of a word. There wasn't much to be said anyways as the assistant that had been called in didn't seem all too interested in leading Cloud, but it was his job in the end.

By the time they reached the apartments, which were just outside of the Shinra Headquarters areas, Cloud could already feel the tiredness crawling through him. All of that traveling was finally getting to him and he was going to need a lot of rest after this.

He made it to the apartment and was handed a key by the man and then left to be on his own. With nothing else on his mind he opened the door and headed inside. The apartment itself wasn't entirely like he thought it would be. It wasn't one that someone would just buy to live in, this was more of an apartment styled barracks which made sense the more Cloud thought about it. The lady had said it would be where boys stayed when wanting to try for SOLDIER, and going along with that there were other boys walking around and hanging out on the series of bunk beds.

"Hey a new kid!" one of the guys shouted as Cloud closed the door.

"Cutting a bit close to the deadline isn't he?"

Soon the boys were swimming around Cloud, staring down at him. Sadly despite all his training with his father and everything else, he was still on the shorter side when it came to height. These boys were at least two the three inches taller than him which wasn't the worst but it didn't mean Cloud liked how they stared down at him.

"So what's your name kid?"

"Cloud," Cloud answered softly.

One of them laughed. "Cloud? What kind of name is that?"

Another one smacked him in the arm. "Hey be nice! It sounds a lot nicer than Bartholomew."

The guy, who Cloud could only assume at this point was Bartholomew, groaned. "Whatever. So… Cloud where ya from?"

"Nibelheim," Cloud answered, groaning tired of having to explain the simplest of questions.

"Whoa Nibelheim?" a different boy gasped. "Isn't that some country mountain town?"

"I barely ever heard of it, other than its way north on the other continent and there is a reactor there."

"So it _is_ just a hick town," Bartholomew commented before he was smacked once more by the same boy as before. "What?"

"Don't start something up again, the tryouts are just this weekend. You really want to be thrown out and banned before you can even try?"

"They can't ban me from trying!" Bartholomew exclaimed. "Well whatever, you all just have fun with the new kid. I'll go work on 'being a good boy' over on the other side of the room."

When he left the area, the one who stood up to Bartholomew held out a hand. "Sorry about him. He thinks he is hot stuff cause he's from Costa del Sol. Apparently when you live in a resort town everywhere else is just nothing. I'm Marcus by the way."

Cloud looked more carefully at the friendliest of the guys. He had brown eyes that matched his dark brown hair that was rather on the messy, unkempt side. Cloud took the hand and shook it, giving a smile in return. "Thanks. Nice to meet you."

"So is it true about it always being cold and snowy in Nibelheim?" Marcus asked as the other guys cleared out to go back to what they were doing before.

"Nah, do people really think that?"

"It's not really an everyday travel destination so I have no idea."

"Well it isn't like that. We have summer where it can get warm, but I doubt it gets as warm as it does here in summer."

"Or Costa del Sol," Marcus added with a laugh.

"Oh definitely not as warm as there. So everyone here is trying out for SOLDIER?" Cloud asked as he looked around.

"Most of us, yeah. Some don't have as high of an ambition though and just want to make Infantryman if they can. Then there are those who wanna be a Turk but none of us have any idea how getting to be a Turk works. But for SOLDIER stuff, the tests and trails are really hard from what I've heard."

Placing a hand into his pocket, Cloud's hand wrapped around his special materia orb. "Ah I think I'll be able to handle it."

"Pretty confident I see."

"Gotta be if I want to make SOLDIER."

Marcus laughed. "Got a point there. Well Cloud, I wish you luck and I'll let you be so you can get some rest. Must have been some journey coming all the way from Nibelheim."

"Yeah it was. Maybe after some rest I'll tell you."

"Sounds good, see you later then!" Marcus said before heading to the other side of the room where a group of boys were talking.

Cloud walked down the hallway of beds, looking for one that didn't have any stuff on it. Eventually he reached one that had someone on the bottom bunk but no sign of anyone using the top.

"Anyone using that top bunk?" Cloud asked the boy who was reading a book on the bed.

Looking up from his book he blinked before realizing Cloud was someone new. "Oh nah, you're good. Go and knock yourself out. I don't mind…" After that the boy went right back to reading his book, not caring in the slightest for any further conversation.

Climbing up Cloud threw down the few items he had brought with him, mainly just bags for his clothes. Then after that he flopped down on the bed and stared up at the boring white ceiling above him. It was almost unbelievable but he was actually going to try out for SOLDIER. He would finally get to live out his dream and become a hero. It was all a matter of time now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah I just needed a random couple of kids to talk to Cloud. Marcus is actually reused from my A Change of Fate story cause I thought "why not" for him. It's just for minor background stuff at least, focus is still all on Cloud. 
> 
> But thank you all so much for reading! See you next time!


	9. Chapter 9

When Cloud woke the next morning he could already hear the chatter coming from the other boys who were already awake. He stretched a little bit before slowly climbing down the ladder, observing the other boys who were close by. He noticed Marcus was in one of the groups, chatting cheerfully.

"Oh hey Cloud," Marcus said when he noticed him. "About time you woke up. Guess you still got some adjusting to the time zone over here?"

"Yeah guess so," Cloud replied. "So what do we do now? The tryouts aren't 'till Sunday right?"

"Yup you're right about that. We've mostly been chilling out here. Some of us like to head out to Midgar, but a lot of us don't really have the funds to really buy anything besides food and stuff," Marcus replied.

"Ahh, okay."

With that in mind he figured that he would have some time to adjust more properly. Though what it was that he would specifically do, he wasn't too sure. Getting to know the others he would be trying out for SOLDIER with was always an option. There were still some bad memories of the fights he used to get into when he was younger, but that was all in the past now. He was different and he was thinking of ways to be better and more friendly.

This was someplace new. A fresh new start where no one knew him and no one knew his past. Sure he was still the outsider boy from Nibelheim, but no one was judging him. No one as far as he could tell besides Bartholomew from yesterday. But Cloud knew he didn't have to befriend everyone. But choosing to put his best foot forward he wasn't going to let anyone bother him. He could continue to strive as best as he could and he was ready for what was to come.

* * *

The days until the tryouts seemed to move faster than Cloud expected, not there was really anything else he could do. Like the rest of the boys, they were not official Shinra employees yet so they could not roam the facility as they would have wanted. They were allowed to leave to go out to eat but other than that they did not really have many other choices within the headquarters themselves.

But now the day had come and it was Sunday finally.

The day of the SOLDIER tryouts.

There was a loud voice barking orders when Cloud started to wake up. Looking around the room he saw the other boys also scrambling to wake up and get out of bed. There was one SOLDIER, 2nd class, who stood in the doorway.

"All of you lazy asses gotta get a move on!" he grumbled. "Get dressed and head down to the training room for orientation. If you slack it will not look good for your chances so move it!"

Cloud got dressed as quickly as he could and started to make his way towards the door. On his way out he placed his hand in his pocket, making sure that he had placed his special gift from his father in there. Gripping it in his hand he calmed down and picked up his speed to catch up to some of the other boys. More specifically he was looking for Marcus, who had been the most friendly to him out of all the boys.

"Oh good Cloud you made it," Marcus said once he saw Cloud besides him. "Who would have thought we would get an early morning wake up call?"

"Well we are trying out for SOLDIER… they are an army aren't they?" Cloud asked as the boys were being told to take the stairs down to the training rooms.

"Yeah you got a point," Marcus agreed. "I wonder how these orientations will go. Like I've heard a lot of stories of different things that could happen."

"I guess we just gotta wait and find out. But I'm sure we can make it," Cloud said before he smiled.

"Yeah you're right!" Marcus smiled in return and held out a fist to which Cloud promptly gave a quick fist bump. "Let's do our best okay?"

"Right!"

When they made it down to the training floors they could see that there were other SOLDIERs of 2nd class and a few 1st as well trying to organize the boys into smaller groups. Looking around Cloud stared at the various SOLDIERs who were seemingly running this event. He didn't seem to recognize any of the 1st class though. Since the only one that ever made the news was Sephiroth, the others never seemed to get the spotlight.

"Aw darn I thought maybe Sephiroth would show up or at least one of the other highly famous ones like Angeal or Genesis," Marcus commented.

"Maybe they'll show up later?" Cloud asked thoughtfully.

"Who knows. Maybe it'll be like a surprise thing if one of them does. Anyways let's see what it is we gotta do now that we're all organized."

They were pushed into one of the groups and soon the chatter died down as one SOLDIER stepped forward in front of all the groups. "So you all want to be SOLDIER eh? Well let me tell you, it's a long road ahead. There will be no sympathy to any slackers or any with a weak mind. Shinra only wants the best of the best for their elite SOLDIERs. If you can't handle what it takes then you better leave now."

There was an uncomfortable science as the boys looked to one another, seeing if any would chicken out last minute. But all of them stood there, not moving from their spot. Once the SOLDIER saw that no one was going to leave he let out a loud laugh.

"So _all_ of you think you got what it takes? Well after the next few days we will see about that. These trails will be some of the hardest things you've ever been put through so be prepared for some of the toughest things you ever imagined. Don't forget, these trials are just the tip of the iceberg, if you can make it through this you'll make it to Infantryman. After that it'll only get harder if you really want to be SOLDIER."

There was maybe the slightest bit of nervous chill running through Cloud but he had to fight against it. He breathed in and out several times until he felt calm again. Now was the time to try and get a level head. He had to listen to what he was told and just hoped as best as he could that he would make it.

Though what he didn't expect was to be thrusted into exercise trails so quickly. He barely had any time to wrap his head around it as he was tossed into a different gym like room with others and put right to the test.

One minute he was running laps around the gym and then pushed right to doing as many squats and sit ups as he could before getting out of breath. Cloud soon came to realize this is what the SOLDIER meant by the long road ahead. They were pushing to see who could survive the longest through the toughest training, and he could only figure that it was going to get a lot harder from there.

* * *

Finally after who knows how many hours they were finally given a break. The groups were brought down to the cafeteria where water was distributed and they were given a 30 minute break to relax and regain themselves. Cloud sat down at one of the tables and let out a sigh. " _Who would have thought that they would be pushing us this hard at day one?"_

Reaching back into his pocket he carefully pulled out his materia and held it against his chest. "Are you able to watch me father?" he whispered softly. "I hope I am making you proud."

"Hey! What do you have there?"

Cloud looked up to see the 1st class who had been leading the training event. There was a cold and cross look in his eyes as he glared down at Cloud. Gulping Cloud practually froze up as he clutched the materia closer to his chest.

"I asked you what you're holding onto. It looked like a materia."

" _How did he even see that? Is it like some SOLDIER sense or something?"_

"Hey kid!" the SOLDIER yelled. "Are you going to answer me?!"

Cloud flinched. He wasn't sure what would happen if he did show the materia. Would he even be allowed to keep it? He heard that as an Infantryman they weren't really allowed to keep onto many possessions. If that was the case then he feared he wouldn't be able to hold onto his matera.

Suddenly the SOLDIER gripped Cloud's hands, making him nearly drop the materia. The SOLDIER now was glaring with annoyance. "A materia? How did a brat like you get hold of a materia? Only the ranks of SOLDIER are supposed to use materia."

"It's mine," Cloud answered at first, which he realized was probably not the best thing to say in this situation. "I mean I've had it for a while."

"Sure," the SOLDIER scoffed. "I'll totally just believe you. Now really me where you really got it and maybe I'll let you off easy."

"I'm telling the truth! It was a gift from my father!" Cloud shouted. He could see now that all eyes were on him and the 1st class. Everyone was staring now and Cloud knew if he wasn't careful this would only end badly for him. He couldn't just fight off the 1st class, if he did that he was sure they would kick him out of the program. But he didn't want to just stand there either and let the SOLDIER push him around.

"A gift? From your father? Oh that's even richer than before!" the SOLDIER laughed. "Now that you managed to make me laugh I'll let you get off with just a warning, but you gotta hand that materia over."

"No! I told you it was a gift from my father, it's like my good luck charm. I can't do that!"

The SOLDIER's amused face dropped and he went back to looking annoyed. "If you aren't going to hand it over then you'll just be making things extra difficult for yourself. So you better-"

"Is there a problem here?"

The SOLDIER turned around while Cloud leaned to the side to see who it was that was speaking. A tall thin man dressed in a neat suit stood just a few feet behind them. His hair was short and black but it was long enough to be worn in a rather short ponytail.

"Keep your nose out of it you Turk," the SOLDIER grumbled as he let go of Cloud finally. "The SOLDIER recruits are none of your business."

"That may be true, but drawing enough attention to make a commotion will give some reason to look into it," the Turk replied. "And if enough trouble arises I can easily report this to HR."

The SOLDIER sighed and shook his head. "Well maybe you can get through to this shrimp. He's holding a materia claiming he got it from his father. Can't have him holding on to it, especially since it's a summon."

The Turk barely even reacted but he stepped forward. He held out a hand towards Cloud. "May I see it? I promise to give it right back after."

Cloud shifted back a little. He still didn't want to give up his materia under any circumstances, but now he was stuck in a tough situation. Continuing to deny and not listen to the actual Shinra workers was not what he actually wanted, so with a deep breath he handed the materia to the Turk. Besides he could sense that this Turk was much more polite than the SOLDIER was.

The Turk hummed softly as he held it up to look at it. "Huh… interesting." After a moment he looked over at the 1st class SOLDIER. "This materia is a dud."

"What?"

"A dud, completely empty and completely useless other than for decoration."

"Let me see that!" the SOLDIER said as he snatched it from the Turk's hand. "Well… it's actually empty…"

The Turk was now looking at Cloud again. "And you said that you got this as a gift from your father? Do you know where he got it from?"

Cloud knew that much at least, but he couldn't actually reveal that. Saying that his father, who was actually a god, just created for Cloud's own benefit wouldn't fly so easily. "No I don't. He just gave it to me one day for my birthday."

"Hmm I see," the Turk replied before he took the materia back from the SOLDIER. "Well since it is empty it isn't doing any harm to anyone. So I believe that the boy can keep it."

The SOLDIER huffed, but he didn't rebuttal anything back. Instead he rolled his eyes before crossing his arms. "Fine, he can keep it. Just don't be causing any trouble cause of it, okay?!" he pointed a finger at Cloud and he was quick to nod back.

With that the SOLDIER walked away to head to a different table and everything around Cloud seemed to resume. People went back to eating and talking to one another and he was left alone. Well almost left alone, the Turk was still standing there looking at him.

"Before I go, can I get your name?"

"Uh Cloud. Cloud Strife."

"Strife, just be careful with flashing that around. You never know who may be looking."

Before Cloud could even say anything, the Turk left and walked out of the cafeteria. Cloud watched him go, wondering just who he was. He knew the guy was a Turk but he realized shortly after that he never even got the name of the guy.

" _Oh well… maybe I'll run into him some other time. Seemed strange though, maybe it's a Turk thing."_

Cloud sighed as he placed the materia back into his pocket. He looked around the room and he could see that a few of the boys were now staring at him weirdly. With a sigh he shrunk into his seat, wishing he could just fade away in that moment. The attention he had gotten was now what he wanted and now he feared what the others would think of him. The only thing that he could hope was all of this wouldn't affect his chances too gravely to get into SOLDIER.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been waiting for this chapter. I have been waiting to introduce this certain character... I wonder who that Turk was XD
> 
> Thank you all for reading and hope to see you next time!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I finally got to chapter 10!! This is one chapter I am very excited for, so I hope you all enjoy!!

That night after the first set of trails were over, everyone was allowed back to the rooms to sleep. Once back in the barracks Cloud heard many of the others complaining about how they felt sore and were positive that they had broken bones.

Cloud felt drained too, but he didn't think he felt as tired and as sore as the other felt. He figured it had to do with his demi-god strengths. He could last a bit longer than the others but he was trying his best to not reveal that. He was sure something bad would happen if the truth came out that he was a demi-god. He wasn't too sure what it would be but it was just an unsettling feeling that he had.

All he needed to do though was find a way to relax for the night. If every day was going to be like this he knew that he would need a good night of rest to prepare for the next. As he got ready and headed towards his bed Marcus walked up besides him.

He smiled friendly. "Hey Cloud! Man what a first day, huh?"

"Yeah, it was pretty tough," Cloud answered.

"I think I'll be feeling sore for a month or more at and just from today!" Marcus stretched as he spoke. "But hey you looked like you were doing a pretty good job. You prepare ahead of time or something?"

"Something like that…" Cloud answered. "I used to exercise a lot back home."

"Ah neat! Well I guess that means you will totally be making SOLDIER! I believe in you buddy!"

Cloud smiled at his new friends. "Thanks, but you did good too. We'll make it together, right?"

"Of course! I'm far from giving up. I heard some of the guys talking though, I don't think some of them will last the first week."

"I guess we just have to see."

Marcus shrugged in agreements. "Anyways I think I may hit the hay right now. See you in the morning Cloud!"

"Night Marcus…" Cloud said before he yawned.

After changing into his sleepwear he climbed up to his bunk and crashed down on it. Not having much more strength to stay awake he closed his eyes and fell asleep. In his mind his dreams led him to his ambitions. He was there making SOLDIERS. He had done it and he was proud of himself. Even his father was there, smiling proudly at him. He knew already that his dad was proud of him, but still he dreamed for another moment to have it happen again.

By the time morning came, Cloud felt like he had a great night of sleep, even if the bed wasn't the softest. The orders were being barked from someone though, telling everyone to get dressed and ready within 5 minutes. Everyone scurried around and shuffled to get ready as fast as they could before all running out the door. The first thing they were told was to head down to the cafeteria for breakfast. When there Cloud opted again to sit by himself, barely awake he thought it was better to just stick to his own thoughts and personal space.

But of course someone had to sit down in front of him. It wasn't one of the SOLDIER this time, instead it was Bartholomew. Cloud had no idea what the other guy wanted, but he wasn't fully trusting of him since his attitude was a bit blunt before.

"So Cloud," Bartholomew said as he placed his food down on the table. "Was what I heard yesterday true?"

"Heard what?"

"Dude, really? Did your country boy mind forget already? You were yelled at by one of the SOLDIERs. Everyone was staring. So it's kind of hard to forget that."

Cloud sighed. He had hoped to avoid that conversation at all costs. He wanted to keep his special materia a secret but it had already been blown now. The only hope he had was that it would die down and be forgotten over time, but it seemed that Bartholomew wasn't going to ignore it.

"Doesn't matter," Cloud answered. "Don't know why it matters."

"You have a materia. It may be a supposedly fake or dud, but you still have one. I wanna know where you got it," Bartholomew said as he leaned forward on the table.

"My father gave it to me," Cloud answered as simply as he could. "That's it."

"Yeah yeah I know that, but where did your father get it? You can't just get materia that easily, especially out in a hic-"

"Cut it out Bartholomew, leave him alone already."

Cloud turned to see that Marcus was moving closer to the table. "Stop wasting time pestering Cloud over it. He said his father gave it to him so leave him alone."

"And why do you think you can tell me what to do?" Bartholomew stood up and glared right at Marcus.

"Cause if you waste all your time hounding Cloud and don't eat, you won't have any energy for the training today."

Bartholomew scoffed. "And you care…. Why?"

"I don't. I just want you to leave Cloud alone already. So get lost already and stop asking him personal questions he doesn't want to answer."

With an annoyed sigh Bartholomew picked up his stuff and began to walk away. "Whatever. Probably was stupid and a fake anyways to draw attention to himself."

When Bartholomew was finally far enough away, Marcus chose to sit down in front of Cloud. "Hope he wasn't being too annoying."

Cloud shook his head. "No, and thanks."

"No problem. I understand what it's like to have sentimental gifts from family."

Before Cloud could ask what he meant Marcus pulled something from undershirt. There was a small silver chain and at the end of it was a small silver medallion. "This was a gift from my own father, for my 10th birthday. He… he passed away later that year, so I always keep this on me to remember it."

"Oh… sorry," Cloud replied, not sure what else to say.

"Nah, it's cool. I look back at it as a good memory. It gives me the strength to keep on trying."

Cloud started to smile a little, happy to see that Marcus was really showing to be a good new friend. He really felt like he could trust him more so than anyone else he had talked to so far. "My father gave me mine uh… thing, for my 14th birthday. Just as a way for me to remember since I was going out here."

"Cool, I won't ask much more about it though, I can tell it's a personal type thing."

Cloud nodded thankfully. "Yeah, thanks though."

The two went to finally eat their meals, seeing that the time to do so was dwindling down. Eventually they were called to rejoin everyone and the training for that day began again. It was just like before but they had Cloud and everyone go through it more times and it was starting to show the wear and worry in some of the boys.

Cloud could already see that some were starting to complain much more than the day before. There were even a few that shouted aloud that they were done with this and quit, storming out of the training room. While he did feel bad that not everyone was going to make it, he still had to keep the focus on himself. If he wanted to be one of the few that got to SOLDIER he really had to put in all the effort that he could.

Slowly the days passed one after another, blurring together. Everything became a solid routine and Cloud was expected to follow it in full. More boys had either dropped out because they feared they couldn't keep up or they were directly kicked out for disobeying orders or not making it to the standards they set for the day or week.

Cloud was always at the top of the group though, and he could see it was bringing him unwanted attention. The other boys stared at him more often and tended to whisper when they assumed he wasn't looking. But he always ended up seeing one way or another. Bartholomew was one of the main ones who gave him such looks, and also one of the others who surprisingly was doing fairly well. He hadn't said anything since their last encounter so Cloud left it at that, but he could only wonder what the stubborn headed boy said behind his back.

The only one Cloud knew he could really trust was Marcus. He was the only one who stepped forward to always be friendly and nice to Cloud. It did help him feel a little better by the end of each day knowing that he had a friend ready to relax with. It also made the training days a little easier with someone by his side to support him along the way.

After another week passed things were different by the morning. They were woken up earlier and lled into the training rooms, but they weren't there to start their usual routines. One of the SOLDIERs stepped forward and cleared this throat. "As of today the group of you that is left, you are nearly on your way to becoming SOLDIER. You have all passed the early level fitness tests, and that means we can move on to the next stage. Now today we introduce a very important element that all SOLDIERs have. As you probably all know, the answer is plain and simple; mako energy. There is a process to all of this so you all better follow along accordingly!"

All of the boys remained quiet as they nodded. They all had heard about this, it was something that easily was told from person to person. Every SOLDIER had mako energy injected into their bodies. The 3rds had the least amount of course and the 1st had the highest. But there were many stories of those who never made SOLDIER but could have. Those who tried getting the mako injections but reacted poorly to the stuff. They would get sick and some would even have mental breakdowns from it. No one knew exactly why that was, but it made Cloud worry slightly.

He hadn't thought about the mako stuff before. He was still a demi-god though, so would that stuff really matter? He was already stronger than the rest just because of his blood alone, but he didn't let that get in his head that he could clearly be better. The trials were still a very big challenge to him and even he felt tired some of the days.

Taking in a deep breath he let his thought calm down. He reached into his pocket, his fingers wrapping around his special materia, and he finally got to the relaxation he wanted. " _Dad, you've been watching right? Still believe in me? You probably do, I've made it this far after all. So thank you."_

With that over, he followed with the rest of the group to get breakfast. It was like usual except this time they were handed a pill to take. They were told it would help give a better chance at withstanding the mako infusion, but first they would have to eat so they wouldn't be going in on an empty stomach. Overall he was told this process would take nearly all day with everything that had to go into the preparation.

Once the food was done they were led into the training rooms to recheck all of their stats from their weight to height, compared to when they first started weeks ago. It all seemed to blur passed Cloud as one thing was checked and prepared after another. By the time they were ready for the mako infusion, it had already been two hours since they had begun the day.

Next they were led to a lab area where they would get the small dose of mako energy. It wasn't going to be as much as 3rd Class SOLDIERs had, but it was enough to test if they would be able to withstand the stuff in the first place. As long as he could withstand it he hoped.

They were lined up alphabetically by last name just as they waited until they were called in next. Marcus's last name actually started with W, what it was Cloud had forgotten, so he was behind him by a few boys. When Cloud looked back to him he gave a smile and a thumbs up, mouthing the words 'You got this'.

Cloud nodded back to him and proceeded forward when it was his turn. He entered a secondary room within the bigger one, it was something more like a doctor's office. Though there was no chair or place for him to sit. There was a large tube against the other wall filled with some tubes and other things. Next to it was someone dressed in a lab coat filing something into a computer. "Just stand there for a moment and we will begin."

Cloud did as he was told and waited for the man to be done. After a few more moments he finally looked over. "Cloud Strife, correct?"

"Yes," Cloud answered.

"Okay… that should be everything. Let's get this over with. Step into the tube."

"Um, what? What's going to happen? I wasn't told how this works."

"The tube you enter will be filled with a mako solution. Your body will absorb it through your skin and mucus membranes into your bloodstream and organ systems. Every 15 minutes throughout the entire session the concentration of mako will slowly increase until we hit the required amount for beginners. The IV will be used to give you supplemental medication to increase your tolerance to the mako."

"Oh um okay…" Cloud said as he stepped closer to the tank. None of that really made any sense to him but he had to believe the guy, he was a doctor after all. He could feel his hands becoming clammy once he stepped inside. Nervousness ran through every part of his body as the doctor began hooking up the necessarily IV's to him. He tried his best not to focus too hard on it though. He wanted a clear mind and wanted to relax as much as possible.

"Just relax kid, you won't even know it's happening."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The doctor sighed, clearly having gotten this question many times before. "It means you'll be asleep the entire time. But you will be monitored the entire time so you have nothing to worry about."

The aspect of being asleep the entire time did add to his nervousness, but he tried not to show it. He just breathed in deeply and waited for the sleep to enclose on his mind. Before he knew it, his mind was already beginning to feel heavy and the room around him faded away into darkness.

* * *

Cloud's eyes fluttered open and he was met with murky green water. He opened his mouth out of sheer natural reaction and found that he had an oxygen mask on his face. He couldn't remember at first what was happening. Everything was so disjointed and blurry he couldn't make heads or tails of the situation either way.

Suddenly the green fluid was drained from around him and the tank he was in opened. Even when he blinked several times the room and everything in it was a blur. It almost felt like it was beginning to spin, but he could barely keep his eyes open to check. The light coming from the room was beginning to hurt his head so he shut his eyes.

There was a throbbing pain in his head, making any thoughts he tried to process worse. He could hear shouting though. Whomever was in the room was shouting… and it seemed to be more than one person. He couldn't hear well enough to figure that part out, but he did know he was being dragged somewhere.

Slowly he tried to open his eyes again, but he was met with blinding lights. His head burned again and the pain seemed to radiate throughout his entire body. Everything was hurting him. None of that made sense, but he still was unable to ask why. But soon enough, for the second time in that day, his mind pulled him back into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, how's that for a ending? Heh. I wonder what happened.
> 
> Also thanks to Prurient_curiosity for helping me out with some of the medical stuff in this chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

When Cloud opened his eyes the bright lights made him shut them again. His headache and everything felt heavy. He let out a groan, hoping that the pain would stop and he would be able to look around and see where he was.

Though his eyes were closed he heard the sound of a chair moment and someone shuffling closer to where he was lying. "Cloud? You awake man?"

"Marcus?" Cloud asked softly, trying to open his eyes again, but it was still far too bright.

"Hey, take it easy, you still need some rest from what the doctors say."

"What… did the doctors say? What happened?" Cloud asked.

The last thing he remembered was going in for his small mako injection. It wasn't quite like how he expected it to be, with having to be hooked up within a large tube, but after that he couldn't remember anything. Nothing could come to mind, not without causing his headache to grow worse.

"Well um…" Marcus started to say. He almost sounded hesitant to say what the answer was. He knew if he could see Marcus's face it was probably saddened or some other emotion in that range. "Uh well they said that the mako didn't react well with you or you didn't react well to the mako. Something like that. They didn't really say which it was."

"What?" Cloud's eyes shot open, disregarding the headache he got when the light met his eyes. "I didn't… I… uh…"

"Hey hey! Don't force yourself too soon," Marcus warned. "The doctors also said that you needed plenty of rest after all that. They said you were lucky… if they hadn't been as quick…" Marcus's face paled a little. "You could have developed mako poisoning and then it would be unlikely that you'd recover."

Cloud let the words sink in. It left him uneasy to think that despite his best efforts he could have succumbed to something like mako poisoning. It was something that he felt would dig deep into his skin, into his mind, haunting him from this point forward.

"So… So that means that I didn't-"

At that very moment, as if planned, the door opened up and one of the SOLDIERs who had been in charge of the program stepped in. Thankfully not the one who had given him trouble before about his materia.

Marcus jumped to his feet and saluted. "S-Sir! Sorry I didn't return sooner. It's just that I was-"

"I know what you were doing. Caring for a friend shows you have heart. But you may take your leave now and return to the apartments."

"Alright, thank you sir. See you Cloud! Get better soon!"

"Bye Marcus," Cloud said before he watched his friend leave the room.

Now that he was left alone with the SOLDIER he averted his eyes to the bed. He waited a moment as the captain came close and soon took a seat right where Marcus had been. "So Strife… about what happened. Let me start with this. You've proven to be a strong candidate. Your results in all of the training were off the charts compared to the others. But when it comes to the mako… that's the biggest factor in the 'will you, won't you' scenario."

Cloud already dreaded where the conversation was heading. He gripped the sheets tightly and did whatever he could to hold back the tears. He wanted to reach into his pocket and hold his special materia, but he realized that he was in different clothes. Obviously they had changed him after being in that tank, but now he just had to wonder where his materia was and hoped no one took it.

"So…" the SOLDIER finally continued. "We are left with this… you really have great physical strengths and we don't want to pass that up, but if you can't tolerate the mako you can be in SOLDIER. So if you're fine with it, we can place you as an Infantryman. No doubt you'll rise to the top of that in no time."

"Oh… I guess…"

"It's up to you Strife. You make the final call. Either join as a Infantryman, or head on home."

With that, the SOLDIER left the room without another word, leaving Cloud to dive deeper into his own thoughts. Though now along his eyes began to drift around the room. It was just a standard medical room and he knew he would probably be held in there for a few days.

Eventually his eyes rested on a basket on the dresser. There he saw his clothes were neatly folded and next to the basket was a small sack. Carefully getting up from the bed he made his way over there and opened up the small bag and thankfully it held his materia. He held it up to the light to see if it was truly his own, though he could already tell when he held it in his palm. It was special to him and only him after all.

With a heavy sigh he went back to lay down on the bed. He clutched the materia to his chest and finally the tears slipped out. He had been trying his hardest to hold everything back ever since Marcus told him what happened. He had lasted this long, but he knew he couldn't keep it up forever.

His dreams, his hopes of what he could become. They were all but gone now. He had given it his all and he still wasn't good enough. He still didn't have what it took to be what he always dreamed. Slowly his mind drifted back to sleep as he continued to clutch the materia to his chest. Sleep was just overcoming him for whatever reason and he had no care to fight it off.

" _Dad… I'm sorry…"_

When Cloud opened his eyes again everything felt light and foggy. He was no longer in the medical wing but instead in a foggy void. He could see for miles, but all he could see was fog. He started to walk around though, wondering just why he was here. He hoped eventually he would find something or someone, but for now he seems to be on his own.

"Sonur minn…" his father's voice whispered to him.

Cloud whipped around to find his father standing there calmly as ever. Cloud however was the complete opposite. He ran into his father's arms and began to sob. He didn't care if this was real or not, but he had a feeling that his father did have some involvement in all of this. All he wanted right now was to be held and that was exactly what was given.

"D-Dad… I…" Cloud tried to say, but the sobbed swelling up in his throat stopped that attempt.

His father hushed him lightly. "Shh, don't stress yourself sonur."

"But I didn't… I couldn't make it!" Cloud shouted. "I wanted to be in SOLDIER… why couldn't I make it?"

It wasn't really a question he wanted the answer to, it was just more of a rhetorical one. But it seemed that his father had more to say on the matter than he originally thought. "I am afraid that I must admit that I had fears that something like this could happen."

Slowly Cloud lifted his head to meet his father's eyes. "What? What do you mean?"

"This Shinra… do you know where the mako that they use comes from?"

Cloud nodded. "They um it comes from the planet right? The energy and stuff?"

"It comes from the Lifestream. They have found a way to harness it for their own means… but remind me sonur minn, whose domain is the Lifestream?"

"The goddess, Minerva," Cloud answered, not too sure where his father was trying to go with this.

"Yes and her domain of the Lifestream is different from the land the other gods and I reside in. She has her own world basically over the Lifestream… It's a different magic than our own. And that…" his father sighed. "That caused that interference."

"Interference?"

"The reason you cannot tolerate mako is because it comes from the Lifestream. Unless given special permission we other gods cannot enter her Lifestream. She is fairly protective of it after all."

Now the pieces were coming together. Slowly Cloud felt things click into place as he started looking at what the bigger picture was with this new information. "S-So it's because I have the blood of the gods in me? That's why I rejected the mako?"

"That is exactly what it is. I'm so sorry sonur minn, I should have suspected sooner and said something. I just did not wish to crush your dreams, but I see that this may have done more harm than the other."

Cloud didn't feel hurt. He knew his father meant well after all. There was no way he could ever be upset at him for withholding something like this. He had to be better than that. With that in mind he shook his head and smiled a little. "I'm not mad… I'm actually glad you told me now. Cause now I know that I am not weak."

"You've never been weak. You have always been my strong sonur minn. I am still proud of how far you have come and I still shall watch over your progress no matter what it may be."

Cloud went back to hugging his father tightly. "Thanks dad, I'm going to keep on trying to be a hero. Even if I can't be in SOLDIER there are other things I can try and do around here to help people."

"Good, I am glad that you have not given up your resolve yet. Hafðu hjarta sonur minn, ekki gefa upp von þína."

Cloud nodded and started to smile warmly. He tightened his hug a little and closed his eyes. "Ég mun hafa það í hug faðir."

When Cloud opened his eyes again he was back to laying in bed, the red matiera right next to him like it had been before. With a new sense of confidence Cloud felt more relaxed than before and readjusted himself to be comfortable. "I got this… I'll keep on going. I am not giving up yet."

* * *

"You're really just going to go and be an Infantryman?" Marcus asked.

Currently there was no training for the day and Cloud was allowed back to the apartments. He had recovered faster than expected, no doubt to his godly blood, and he could resume doing what he wanted now. He had given it a lot of thought though on what he wanted to do. He still had potential as the one SOLDIER had told him and he knew he could be still very helpful. He already was stronger than most 3rd Class just because he was a demi-god, but he had to keep that part low and hidden.

"Yeah… I already sent in my forms to apply. I wanna do something still and this way I can still be out there fighting with you and the others."

"I just wish you could have made it to SOLDIER with me…" Marcus sighed. "I was really rooting for you, ya know?"

"Thanks Marcus," Cloud replied softly.

Marcus was still the only one who was his friend and the only one who believed in him that much. Even after his failure over the mako, Marcus was still wanting to stick by him. He knew a lot of the others, Bartholomew in particular, made fun of him behind his back. Marcus never did though, he remained true and still stood up for Cloud if anyone tried to cause any problems.

"Sure no problem. And hey what if you become the captain of the Infantrymen? Or a division of them? That would be so cool and then the others would probably stop treating you like crap."

Cloud shifted in his seat a little. "I don't really care what the others think. I just want to work on being a hero and stuff."

"That's fair. I'd still like to punch Bartholomew in the face after what he said the other day. I can't stand his attitude. Honestly he is going to make SOLDIER look bad if he keeps this up."

"Yeah I know… but not much that we can do about it. I guess you just gotta be the one to keep the name good."

Marcus laughed. "Oh you bet! I may not get to be as popular as the 1st Class, but I will get close!"

"And I'll be rooting for you," Cloud replied before going to finish up his food.

After he finished up he started to walk back to the apartments with Marcus. They still were chatting about various things when suddenly someone was standing in front of them. Cloud recognized them as the Turk who had stood up for him before and he realized in that moment he never got the Turk's name.

"Um? Something we can help you with?" Marcus spoke up first.

"I would like to borrow Strife for a time if that's alright."

"Um sure?" Marcus said as he looked to Cloud with a confused glance. "You got anything against that?"

Cloud shrugged. "Nope, I guess I'll see you back at the apartments?"

"Sure thing! See ya later, Cloud," Marcus said before he headed down the rest of the hallway.

Now it was just Cloud and the Turk. There was a moment of silence that passed between them before the Turk cleared his throat and began to walk down a nearby hallway. "Follow me."

Cloud followed right behind him without saying a word. He had no idea what was happening or even what to expect. The Turks were always so mysterious and that just left Cloud to wonder a million questions in his head. What could the Turks possibly want with him?

EVentually they stopped in front of an office room and the Turk unlocked it. He stepped aside to let Cloud in first. Slowly Cloud stepped in and heard the door lock and close behind him. Now he was beginning to have more reason to worry what all of this is about.

"I'm sorry if I seem like I am taking precautions, I only wish to take as much privacy as we can get."

"Uh did I do something wrong?" Cloud finally asked, no longer able to contain his inner thoughts.

"Not at all, I just needed a place for us to speak where we would not be interrupted or spied upon. I've already fixed this room so the security cameras will not work at this hour."

"Um but why? I still don't know why… and I don't even know who you are."

The Turk smiled slightly. "I apologize for that. I am Tseng of the Turks. And you Cloud Strife are by far the most interesting recruit in years."

Tseng moved over to the desk and took a seat. "Do you have any reason as to why I would think this?"

Cloud shook his head right away, not wanting to say more than he should in the situation. If there was a chance this had to do with him being a demi-god he had to be extremely careful. Letting others know his origins would no doubt cause trouble. He wasn't sure exactly what the higher ups would think, but he could figure that it would end badly. All he could do now was try to wait it out as long as he could until he figured out just what it was Tseng wanted from him. All he had to do was play it safe for now and hope for the best.

"You have skills that surpassed most others in the SOLDIER tryouts. You have strength and skill unlike the others who are still learning the basics. One may look at what you did growing up, you no doubt prepared for this, yes?"

Cloud swallowed. "Yeah something like that."

"Cloud, there is no need to be afraid. I know, or at least have a feeling, about your origins. They are unique compared to the rest, wouldn't you say?"

Cloud staggered back a bit. He wanted to run and make a break for it, but he knew that Tseng had locked the door. He would have to waste time trying to unlock it before running away. He had no idea though how Tseng could have ever picked up on it. Sure he was a Turk and they were always snooping around, but there was no way that he could have figured out that. Cloud had been so careful to not reveal anything. He was sure of it.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just a kid… that's all."

Tseng laughed a little. "I suppose I should be clearer about this. When you first came here I sensed something in the air. Someone that was different from the rest. When I met you and saw your materia, it just confirmed it for me. You Cloud, are a demi-god."

Cloud paled, almost dropped to the floor. He was found out. Somehow and somewhat Tseng had figured it out. He only now wondered what would happen next. A Turk knew his secret, and he wasn't sure if it really was going to be a good thing or bad.

"S-So… what if I am?"

Tseng straightened up, his expression remaining calm as ever. "I suppose you may not have noticed it as you are still young. But when I said that there is no need to be afraid. I understand more than you may realize."

That caught Cloud off guard. "What? What do you mean?"

"Think about it Cloud, it's easier than you may think."

Cloud tried running through a hundred scenarios in his head. He had no idea if anything was really true or not but he went with what his gut was telling him. He had nothing to lose… he hopped. "Are you… I mean are you also-"

"Yes, I too am a demi-god."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY got to this chapter!! It took me forever to get to this point but AHHH the reveal!!!  
> Thanks to TheRandomArtFur101 for helping me with the Icelandic lines. I changed to that rather than trying to figure out Old Norse. 
> 
> Icelandic lines  
>  Ég mun hafa það í hug faðir (Translation: I'll keep that in mind father)  
> Hafðu hjarta sonur minn, ekki gefa upp von þína (Translation: Have heart my son, do not give up your hope )


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to another chapter! Tseng has revealed himself as a demi-god, but I wonder who his parent is then. Let's find out!

" _Yes, I too am a demi-god."_

Cloud was gawking, no doubt with his jaw to the floor. While he had just thought to take a wild guess on it, he never actually expected it to be true. But now he was stuck. He had this new information and he had no idea how to process it. Where was he even supposed to begin with it?

Tseng was also a demi-god? A Turk who he had only met once before? It almost seemed too crazy to believe but Cloud had to try and give it some trust. It seemed much too elaborate just to set everything up to fake him out. Then again Tseng was a Turk after all…

"You seem surprised," Tseng said after a while. "Did you not know there could be other demi-gods among you?"

"No," Cloud shook his head quickly. "Ah I mean l knew there could have been, but my father told me that he wasn't sure if there were any others out there."

"Ah, so it was your father… I see," Tseng replied with a nod. "I didn't expect it either but I sensed your aura when you first came to Shinra. I knew it was only a matter of time before we crossed paths."

"You knew? You could just sense it?"

"It seems you still have a great deal to learn about being a demi-god. I can be of help if you ever need. I may not look it, but I have been around a bit longer than you would think," Tseng started to smile more. "Youthfulness is one generous trait of being a demi-god didn't you know?

"Oh… I see. But um…" Cloud moved slowly back to the table. "If you are a demi-god, who is your… well you know um…"

"My godly parent? Ah yes… the very same question I was going to ask you. But instead I will ask you this, who do you think my parent is?"

Cloud wasn't sure where he would even begin with that. There were so many gods and goddesses out there, far more than there were summons that had been based off of them. Tseng's parent could have been any of them. Well expect for Odin of course otherwise Cloud was sure his father would have told him about that. But that still left so many more options for who it could have been.

Though as he thought he watched as Tseng smiled again, remaining calm and relaxed. Suddenly there was a drop in the temperature and Cloud started to shiver. He wasn't trying to pay any attention to that, knowing maybe the AC just turned on, but he caught just how Tseng was looking. The way he was smiling wasn't just a regular smile… there was something else behind it.

"Shiva?" Cloud finally asked.

Tseng nodded as the temperature of the room started to return to normal. "You are correct, Cloud. Shiva is my mother."

It was still quite a shock to hear, but honestly the more he thought about it the more it made sense. Tseng, from this time and the time before, had always been rather calm and collected but had an almost unmoving seriousness about him. There was also the fact that Tseng had the tilak on his forehead, which was something Shiva was known to have in some of the old depictions of her. Even the summon was designed to have something that reflected that in her appearance.

"Now, what about you?" Tseng asked.

"Odin," Cloud answered softly.

"Ah, I should have suspected that. You are from Nibelheim after all, it's where Odin resides."

"Why are you so curious?" Cloud asked next. "I mean why were you so curious to find out more about me?"

"Forgive me if I seemed a bit much. You see, as far as I knew there weren't any other demi-gods. I was the only one in centuries and I thought that was how it would be, until you showed up. It feels nice to know that I am not alone in that respect."

"Ooh, I think I get it now," Cloud answered. When he gave it some thought with the words Tseng had said, he felt the same. He had wondered for years about other demi-gods or if he was the only one. "So that's all you really wanted? To talk about being a demi-god?"

"Yes there was that, but there was something else. I heard what happened during your SOLDIER tryouts. I wish I could have stepped in to say something sooner, but I didn't want to concern you or make you feel like I was trying to dissuade you from trying."

Cloud tilted his head slightly. "What? What are you talking about?"

"I am talking about how our demi-god blood cannot mix with mako."

"Oh yeah… my father told me about that after. It's okay, it's good that I learned about it. Now I can be a bit more careful around the stuff. But is that why you became a Turk?"

"Part of the reason, yes, I have my other reasons too but this is one of them." Tseng leaned back in his chair before crossing his arms. "Which brings me to my next point. I see that you have applied to be in the Infantrymen, but if you ever wish I could easily help you get into the ranks of the Turks."

Cloud's eyes widened. Could something like that really be so simple? Maybe for the Turks it was, but he had never given it much thought. He began to wonder if he spent more time around Tseng if maybe then he could learn even more things about being a demi-god. Learning from his father was one thing, but learning from another demi-god sounded like it could really help him grasp more things.

But even with the offer he had to shake his head. "Thank you, but I'll stick to Infantry, it's the closest I'll get to being a SOLDIER."

"A really strong determination there. I see." Tseng got up from his desk and headed towards the door. "Well that covers what I wished to talk about. And Cloud, if you do have any questions, or just wish to talk demi-god to demi-god, you let me know."

"Oh okay, thank you Tseng," Cloud said before he walked through the door once it was open.

"If you want, I can exchange my email with yours. That way it'll be easier than trying to find me."

Cloud pulled out his phone and handed it over. "Makes sense. Thank you again."

Tseng put in his email and then Cloud did the same on Tseng's phone. After that he nodded before he was left on his own now as Tseng started to walk down a different hallway. Left on his own again, new thoughts fill his mind about what had just happened. He had met another demi-god. There really was another demi-god and in Midgar of all places! It was rather convenient in that matter, but also piqued his curiosity.

_"Another demi-god…" Cloud though to himself. "I wonder what dad would think… doubt he knew, but wow. A son of Shiva. Pretty cool."_

He chuckled to himself after that, proceeding to head back to the apartments. As he did, he began to think of what he was going to tell Marcus. No doubt Marcus would want to know why he had just had a private talk with a Turk. He knew he could figure out a way though, he had enough time to think about it anyways.

Meanwhile outside of the Shinra HQ, Shiva and Odin had been observing the situation. Shiva moved a little closer to Odin and smiled graciously. "You see now? Their paths have crossed. But what more will they make of it? The choice is theirs and theirs alone."

"I know Shiva,"Odin replied. "We cannot interfere in their lives much. As people will their free will they can make their own decisions. But I am glad. Your son I hope will be helpful to mine in teaching him about demi-gods."

"He will do his part. He knows enough by this point that he can educate yours," Shiva replied.

"I do wonder though for the future… for the both of them as they stay here at Shinra. I have an uneasy sense of something."

Shiva hummed. "So you sense it too… It's no doubt it has a connection with Shinra but perhaps more… there are things at work here. Forces that we cannot control."

"All we can do is wait and see what will come… I wish that both our children will be safe."


End file.
